


The king of cups

by GreenGlitchBitch



Series: Stucky oneshots [6]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Astrology, F/F, M/M, POV Bucky Barnes, Pre-Captain America: The First Avenger, Tarot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 05:21:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17912774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreenGlitchBitch/pseuds/GreenGlitchBitch
Summary: "The King of cups upright. This person is a very distant, quiet person, with authority. They have a love for the arts, that are kind and wise. A peace-maker, they can be a caring partner. I feel this is the person you wish to for a romantic relationship with"





	The king of cups

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo, my mom's really into tarot readings, and she watches YouTube videos that people do where they actually do readings, and they're pretty damn accurate! So I got this idea for Bucky to get a tarot reading done, and the lady tells him how he feels about Steve, and things like that. I have my own set of tarot cards, and so I decided to use actual tarot cards that fit my own purpose. So for this, I read what each card was, and put it in the right spot for the Celtic Cross, which is a real tarot reading. So there is a lot of fact behind this fic. Anyway, hope you like it!

  “Buck, I dare you to go see that tarot lady over there in that tent” Steve said, while on one of their trip to Coney Island, probably as revenge for the Cyclone incident.

  “Why? That’s all a load of bunk anyway. She’ll con me outta my money” Bucky said in protest. Steve rolled his eyes.

  “I don’t care. Go do it anyway, ya Jerk!” Steve said, pushing Bucky closer to the tent. Bucky laughed at him.

  “Alright, alright. I’ll go, ya Punk. But you stay out here. Private reading. And don’t even think about snooping” Bucky replied, winking at him. Steve cheered in victory.

  “FIne! But ya gotta tell me what she says” Steve said, as Bucky started walking closer to the tent.

  “Sure thing, doll. At least we can get a good laugh outta this” Bucky said, winking at Steve again, before he turned away from Steve, and entered the tent. It was dark in the space, the only light coming from a few candles. The whole area smelled like smoke, but sweeter, like a perfume. There was a small, circular table, with two chairs, facing each other, behind it. An older looking woman sat in the chair farthest from Bucky, facing the entrance to the tent.

  “Sit, my child” the tarot reader said, addressing the empty seat in front of her. Bucky walked over, and sat in the seat. The woman looked up at him.

  “What can I do for you today?” she asked, smiling at Bucky. He smiled back kindly.

  “Just a tarot reading” he said simply. She nodded, and brought her cards onto the table.

  “Is there a specific reading you would like to have done?” the woman asked, and Bucky shook his head.

  “No, you pick” he told her, shrugging his shoulders. She nodded again, and began shuffling her cards.

  “For you, I shall do the Celtic Cross reading, and while it is the most expensive, it is also the most informative. And I sense that you have a great deal of information that requires clarity, so for you, I shall only charge half” the woman said, still shuffling her cards. Bucky smiled at her.

  “Gee, thanks! So, how does this work? Do you just pick some cards at random, or do I pick?” Bucky asked, more willing to have the reading, now that he knew that it would be half priced for him.

  “I pull from the deck, and arrange the cards in the order in which I see them first. Then I explain the meaning, and what it holds for you in the future” she explained, still shuffling. Bucky nodded, as she finally stopped shuffling, and pulled out 10 cards, placing them face up, in what Bucky guessed was the Celtic cross.

  “Interesting. Very interesting” the woman said, examining the cards for a minute.

  “What’s interesting?” Bucky asked, looking at the cards curiously. They didn’t mean anything to him, but apparently they meant a lot to her.

  “All your cards indicate some sort of evolving love life” she replied, still looking at cards. Bucky looked at the cards curiously, as his heart sped up just a little. Evolving love life?

  “Starting from the beginning, the first card on the bottom of the cross, represents the current situation. I’ve pulled the Death card, reversed” she began, but stopped, seeing Bucky’s nervous expression. Death always was a scary thing to him. Not for himself, but for Steve, who would constantly get sick. It seemed like the reaper was always close to Steve, practically following his footprints.

  “Don’t worry, the death card doesn’t mean actual death. It means change, the death of an old way. But reversed means that you are unable to let go of the past. You aren’t allowing yourself to feel what you want. You need to let go of the past, and allow yourself to move on” she said, smiling at Bucky. He let out a relieved breath, and smiled back, nervously.

  “The next card represents  what’s hindering, or helping you, which, for you, is the moon, upright. It means that you don’t know how to move forward in a relationship, be it romantically or platonically” she continued. Bucky began to think, maybe she knows what she’s talking about.

  “The third card represents the best you can do, or achieve. I pulled the magician, upright. It means that the best you can do for yourself and the situation you are in, is to turn your dream into a reality, be it in terms of a relationship, or a career, even in daily life” she said, and Bucky nodded, taking in the information.

  “The fourth card represents any hidden factors to the situation. The high priestess reversed, which is what I pulled for this card, means that there is hidden information that may cause a shock to you, that’s about to be revealed. It might incriminate someone you thought was free from reproach” she said, and Bucky felt his heart speed up a little. Could that mean, no it couldn’t. Maybe she meant it was just another dame that had loved him since high school.

  “The fifth card represents the past, and I pulled the lovers reversed. It means that there have been breakups and commitment issues, either on your end, or a partners end, though I feel it’s on your end. You have a hard time finding someone that you could consider being in a more permanent relationship with, recently. Though, you do feel unconditional love for someone else, who you’re unsure of their love for you, so you pretend you don’t feel it” she said, and Bucky looked at her, with a shocked look on his face. How did she know that?

  “Something tells me that makes sense to you” she said, smiling at his expression. He nodded at her, still looking shocked.

  “That card told you all that?” he asked, finding his voice.

  “No, but I could tell. But so far, all the cards are pointing to that being the case” she answered, turning to the next card.

  “The sixth card represents what your next move will be. In this case, it’s the fool, upright. That means that you should make a new path in life, embark on some kind of an adventure” she said, smiling at him as he nodded, the realization setting in that she might actually know what she was talking about.

  “The seventh card represents how you see yourself, and from the looks of this card, the emperor upright, you view yourself as a very protective and supportive man. You are a very trustworthy friend to those who have the pleasure of calling you that” she said, pointing to the card. He smiled, she did have a point. Steve always called him a mother hen, for trying to keep him out of trouble, even though sometimes he joined in on the trouble, mostly to keep Steve from doing something really stupid.

  “The eighth card represents another person's attitude, in this case, I feel that it is someone very close to you. For this card, I pulled the king of cups upright. This person is a very distant, quiet person, with authority. They have a love for the arts, they are kind and wise. A peace-maker, they can be a caring partner. I feel this is the person you wish to form a romantic relationship with” she said, and Bucky looked at her in shock again. That was almost spot on a description of Steve, well, everything but the peace-maker. Nine times out of ten, that man disturbed the peace, albeit for the right reason.

  “You’re startin’ to make a whole lotta sense to me, lady” Bucky said, eyeing her suspiciously. There had to be some way she was faking it. But she just smiled at him.

  “I’m glad. But we’re still not done. The ninth card represents your hopes or fears. For this card, I pulled the three of swords upright. It means that you fear heartbreak or disappointment, and judging by the cards I pulled previously, you fear being rejected by this person, your king of wands, that you feel unconditional love for, you don’t want to ruin the past you two share. But you want to make a new path with this person, even if you have constant dilemma’s on how to do so. Does any of this make sense to you?” she asked, as Bucky gaped at her in shock. How did she know all that? That’s impossible!

  “Yeah, you hit it spot on! But, how can you tell all this just by looking at a few cards?” he asked, eyeing her suspiciously again. She smiled at him once more.

  “I could tell you, but wouldn’t you like to know what the last card means?” she asked, smirking at him, as if knowing he would say yes. When he didn’t answer, she continued.

  “The final card represents the outcome. For this, I pulled the nine of cups upright. This means a dream coming true, usually in terms of a hearts desire. It also means a friendship become love” she said, and he gaped back at her, not knowing what to say.

  “Would you like me to summarize all that for you?” she asked, and he nodded quickly. That was a lot of information to take in, especially with that shock at the end.

  “You see yourself as a very protective, supportive friend, especially to this king of cups, the wise, kind person in your life. You love them unconditionally, and you want to make a new path with them in your lives together, but you don’t know how to confess your feeling, and you fear heartbreak from rejection if you confess. You also can’t and don’t want to let go of the past you two share, thinking that a confession may destroy that past, and leave you without them in your life. Because of that, you constantly look for other people to be with, to take your mind off of your king of cups, but it always ends in a break up. But, there will be shocking news revealed to you soon that may change your view of someone, most likely your king of cups. And in the end, it will lead to your dreams of being with them coming true, and your friendship becoming a relationship” she said, summarizing her reading. Bucky looked at her in shock, for what felt like the millionth time since he stepped into her tent.

  “But how can you know that just by looking at those cards? How do I know if I can trust that? I mean, they’re just cards! How can they tell the future?” Bucky asked, sounding crazy to himself, but the woman simply smiled back at him.

  “My dear, none of us can be sure what the future holds for us. These cards only explain a possibility of what life has in store for us. In this case, life may have a change in your relationship with your king of cups, but that won’t happen on it’s own. It’s very clear that you love this person with all your heart, not just from what the cards say, but the look in your eyes everytime I mention them. You have always loved this person. But these cards only tell us what might happen if we want it to, if we help it happen. Your king of cups may not tell you their secret out of the blue, you may not suddenly become their lover out of nowhere. Things like this need help to make them a reality. But that doesn’t mean the you need to be more romantic with them to make them love you. Simply be yourself, let go of the past, allow yourself to be open to making a new path with them. Don’t push for a future you want, wait for a future that you both want” she said, grabbing one of Bucky’s hands, a supportive smile on her face. She looked like a grandmother giving her grandchild advice. He smiled back at her.

  “If you don’t mind me asking, what is his birthday, dear?” she asked, and Bucky panicked slightly.

  “I-it’s not a guy” he started, sounding scared, but the woman simply smiled at him, and waved her hand nonchalantly.

  “Don’t worry dear. I won’t turn you in. It would be considered a disgrace to not only myself, but my wife, god rest her soul. She passed several years ago from age, but she watches over me to this day. I know I’ll see her again one day” she said, looking up to the sky, a smile on her face.

  “How could you tell that it was a man?” Bucky asked, wondering how she knew. Had he said something and not realized it?

  “I could just tell. When you get to be as old as I am, and with the life experiences I’ve had, you notice things. At the mention of your love being a king, you didn’t flinch, or become disgusted, like most men your age do when a card such as that comes up. And before you stepped into my tent, I heard you talking to another man. When you first stepped foot into the tent, your cheeks were dusted with a light pink. There were small hints and clues here and there. And as someone who has loved another of the same gender, I could see the look in your eyes. It was the same look I used to have in my eyes when I thought about my wife. There is reason to hide, yes. But there are those of us, despite how few we are, that understand. Do not shy away from this love. I can tell how much you love him, I can see it in your eyes. Do not let him be the one thing you regret most in your life. Take it from an old woman with many regrets, you will never forgive yourself” she said, a knowing look on her face. Bucky knew to listen to her.

  “What is his birthday?” she asked again, and this time, Bucky answered her.

  “July fourth” he answered, and she smiled again.

  “And what’s yours?” she asked him.

  “March tenth. What do you need to know our birthdays for?” he asked, looking at her curiously.

  “For your zodiac sign. While some don’t believe in things like astrology, it has proven to be very accurate. Lets see, he is a cancer, and you are a pisces. There is a compatibility between all the signs, friendship, love, closeness. And with a Cancer and Pisces, you two are a very close knit pair. He is tenacious and cautious, but also respectful in everything in his life. You are a very romantic person, but also idealistic and emotional. As well as extremely adaptive and imaginative. Does this sound right to you?” she asked, Bucky nodded. She was very good!

  “In terms of compatibility, you are very much a love at first sight match. You have a very emotionally strong bond with one another that practically formed instantly. You are both very intuitive and care about the people you love, and you both will do everything in your power to keep each other happy. You are very accomodating of each other’s flaws” she continued, and Bucky nodded again. It all sounded spot on.

  “In terms of a romantic relationship, he will be very helpful to you in giving you direction in your dreams, and help you bring them to life. And you will be there to share in his delights and doldrums. You have a very strong bond of trust and an even stronger relationship. But, he likes stability in his everyday life, while you love being surprised from time to time, which may cause some problems. Also, he will always encourage you to speak your mind in a disagreement, but he will also expect the words to be matched by the action. If you say one thing, but end up doing something else, he won’t be very happy about it” she continued, and Bucky got a little nervous. How was he supposed to control all that?

  “But, if you two can find a middle ground, a sense of stability, your relationship will be absolutely amazing. The emotional connection that you two share will be the strongest bond between you two. I think you and he will do just fine, and I believe in the both of you. Don’t let your fears outweigh your love for him. When the time comes, don’t let your fears prevent you from letting him know how much you love him. And with that, I do believe we are finished” she said, smiling at Bucky, as he smiled back at her. He hadn’t expected to get such accurate information from her, but he was happy he got it. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out the first quarter he could find. He held it out to her, but she waved her hand at it.

  “No my dear. You don’t need to give me anything as a payment. Consider it a gift” she said, smiling at his kindness.

  “I insist. You’ve given me a lot of clarity, just like you said. It’s the least I can do” Bucky said, still holding out the coin for her. She reached out and took it, though reluctantly.

  “I wish you nothing but luck with your king of cups, my child. May the universe smile down upon the both of you. And know that you are not alone. There are people like us, living happily, albeit quietly. Never be afraid, you are doing nothing wrong. In loving him, you are hurting nobody. Goodbye, and good luck” she said, standing when he stood. He smiled at her, and gave her a hug. She stood still for only a second, not expecting a hug, but she quickly returned it. It didn’t last long, and when he let go, he left her tent, waving farewell to her.

  “Well? What did she say?” Steve asked, when he saw Bucky leaving the tent. Bucky knew there was no way he was telling Steve the truth, but he could easily tell him a lie.

  “She was a phoney, like I said. Told me I was gonna meet some cute dame, have a night of fun, and just when I think it’s serious, the girl’s gonna walk out on me. That’s nothing new. Made me pay her a quarter! I had a half a mind to just walk out and not give her anything. But she was old, so I felt bad not giving her something” Bucky said, walking back towards the rest of the beach with Steve next to him.

  “Well, consider it pay back for the Cyclone incident, ya Jerk!” Steve said, sounding like he got the revenge he had been seeking.

  “I knew that was why you wanted me ta go see some psycho lady! You can’t hide a thing, Punk” Bucky said, ruffling Steve’s hair, just to mess with him. Steve shook Bucky’s hand off his head and pushed him away, pretty hard, for a guy his size.

  “Lay off, Buck! My hairs bad enough without you mussing it up even worse!” Steve said angrily, though there was no real anger in his voice.

  “Well, maybe some dame finds that kinda hair attractive? Bout time we found you a date” Bucky said, laughing at Steve. Steve laughed with him, as they walked through Coney Island, heading back to the station. The woman's words were still bouncing around in Bucky’s head, but he chose to ignore it, as the train pulled up. They had a lengthy ride ahead of them, back to Brooklyn, and as Steve rested his head on Bucky’s shoulder to take a nap, Bucky couldn’t help but smile to himself. Maybe one day, he could be with his king of cups.

**Author's Note:**

> Also, the Cancer Pisces compatibility bit is also based on facts, well, astrology facts. I searched for the compatibility, and put it into the fic. My family is crazy like that! We believe in all sorts of crazy stuff! Anyway, if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them! Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
